Alison

Minor parties need about 10% of the vote (depending on where you are in the UK) to get a seat in Europe. Some minor parties, such as the British National Party, are very good at getting their vote out. If the turnout is below 25% in the European elections (and it probably will be), that means that fewer than 3% of the electorate could elect, eg, an openly racist MEP, or one that believes that God speaks to them and tells them what the right policies are. It's worth voting, even if you have severe reservations about the main parties, if you have any political preferences at all.